


Muddled Ink

by Corvids (Corvvids), Corvvids



Series: Squidkid Chronicles [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: might be angsty?, might have ships but mostly not really, probably going to be cringy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvvids/pseuds/Corvids, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvvids/pseuds/Corvvids
Summary: Inklings are starting to disappear all across Inkopolis, including a well loved teammate of team SAD. Unfortunately, with the sudden appearance of Agent 8, Commander Tartar, and the chaos that ensued, the Agents are finding it harder and harder to stumble across the evidence they need- and the motivation to continue their search.That is, until, the true stakes are revealed.
Series: Squidkid Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702870
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Thangs For The Memories

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic! I'll be trying to update this as much as possible and make something I can finish. Crits and fixes are allowed and very much appreciated!  
> Keep in mind that since this is my first fic, I have no way of knowing whether it will come to a conclusion or not. If you can't stand the potential of unfinished fanfiction, please don't read! Otherwise, enjoy my silly, cringy little writing project ;;

Agent 8 flicked through his CQ-80, idly scanning through the most recent chat logs as the train rumbled along the ever looping tracks, swaying ever so slightly with every bump. It was a relaxing, hushed atmosphere, a brief respite from the chaotic nature of the challenging tests. Though Cap'n Cuttlefish's rambling, the loud static from the radio, and the subtle _click, click_ of Iso Padre's arms were still audible, they were mostly drowned out by his focus. Fixated on the aquatic environments rushing by the windows, he felt his eyelids grow heavier with each word.

_Just one more thang to go,_ he thought, head lowering to rest on the sill, _Then I’ll be free._

His personal musings were cut off by the metallic scrape of the car doors opening, letting in a wave of bioluminescent light and the soft rush of sea air. That on its own was hardly an issue- riders frequently walked to and fro between cars. But his curious glance had instead been met by the Conductor. _Odd._ he thought. _They_ _rarely do that..._

Watching with mild interest as they inched along the floor of the car, Agent 8 waited until he had eventually propped himself up, beginning to speak in his classic, professional voice.

"Attention all riders! It unfortunately appears that our stop will be delayed until further notice. A blockage on the tracks has arisen, you see.", he said, hat bouncing upwards as he stood up straight to get a better view. "Kamabo Co. apologizes profusely for this delay. Please, enjoy your ride. We appreciate your patience during this unfortunate event."

He blinked down at the Conductor, eyes narrowing slightly as he sidled out of the car once more. _Delayed?_ Agent 8 had a difficult time giving them the benefit of the doubt. Merely hovering on the map on the CQ-80 showed nothing of the sort. Cap'n Cuttlefish seemed to share his thoughts, as he loudly exclaimed an "Unbelievable!" before returning to his ramblings. Agent 8 on the other hand felt his stomach churn with anxiety. Just another delay in his insufferably long battle towards the promised land.

So close, but so far... All he wanted was to feel sunlight. He had heard tales of it, felt fleeting memories of warmth and comfort on... Some sort of green foliage, whatever that was.

Hopping from his seat, Agent 8 swiftly made his way towards the conductor's car, already overhearing a nervous chitter from them as he approached from the other car. Ignoring the potent chlorine smell from the step between, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. Plans were few and far between for the octoling, so when they had one, there was no stopping them.

"Ah! Agent 8. I'm afraid you have no Medals to collect, I apologize to-", He was cut off by Agent 8 stepping directly over them and approaching the last car door, covered from top to bottom in caution tape. Tearing it off with an indigant squeak from the Conductor behind him, he entered the dimly lit front.

He checked the map as they hurried behind him. "Hey! You cannot do that! That is strictly forbidden and I ask that you leave at once!" To which he completely ignored. Indeed, among the neon lines was a large blockage, yet it was far more serious than they had initially let on. Four of the tracks had been completely severed, and multiple of the tests had errors hovering over them.

Agent 8 turned to the Conductor and pointed at the nearest station.

"Stop... There? After your incredibly rude intrusion on my personal space and privacy-", he pointed again. "-and you really think I would-", more forcefully. "...Fine."

He watched as the conductor gingerly reached out a tendril to shift the direction of the train, albeit hesitantly. The train drew to a slow, shrieking halt. "Whatever your plan is, know I do not support it, Agent 8.", he said, only gaining an idle nod in response. "You have no clue what could be out there."

Whatever was out there, he could take it.

 _This must be a test from the_ _telephone_ , he thought. _So why not pass it with flying colors?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the true beginning! A thing or two to note:  
> Bimo and Matchako are part of team SAD, a competitive, ranked team.  
> Moray is agent 3,  
> Mimko is agent 4,  
> and yes, most of their names are supposed to be written in japanese, but I don't feel like switching keyboards for every single time their name is mentioned ok-

Mimko hummed a sweet tune to herself as she skipped into the warm sunlight, gently brushing her fingers along the window sills of the shops she knew so well. Inkopolis Square was her home, she couldn't help but enjoy it's lovely atmosphere every single day. Today was no exception. Just another afternoon of inking turf, making new friends, and maybe paying Callie and Marie a visit in Octo Valley... She couldn't help softly smiling to herself at the thought of visiting her best friends, her idols. Maybe she could even convince them to come with her into a turf match...

"Where the hell are you going?"

Oh, right. Moray. He existed.

"Uh- Turf... War? Want to come or-"

"Turf?! And you call yourself a pro player...", He hissed, turning his nose up at the thought of it.

"Actually, I.. I kinda _dont-_ "

"We all know Ranked is the only good mode. Turf's boring."

Mimko sighed faintly, rubbing her arm. "You know, you always act like this. What's with you?"

"What's with me is I don't _like_ you. How come you're so high and mighty to the squid sisters, all I get it a frown and a new assignment. _you_ are a suck up. At least I work for the prestige."

Moray crossed his arms, giving her a snide glare, eyes narrowed in disdain. Mimko sighed faintly in return. This wasn't the first time he'd brought this up in conversation. This was just the first time he did it in public- Frankly, it was embarrassing with all the random inklings turning to stare. Moray seemed to notice her cheeks flushing red, and all the stares, finally backing off. 

She didn't bother replying, opting to take a seat at one of the tables. Agent 3 shot her a judging glare and huffed as he walked away. However, her spirits rose slightly as she heard the soft, nervous voice of Matchako approaching her. "O-oh! Hi Mim- Were you about to.. to do turf too?" She whispered, fidgeting with her wrists as she took a seat next to her friend. "I-I.. I hea-rd that.. that Bimo is.. is gonna- is gonna be doing it t'day 'stead of.. of.. of of- of ranked... Said something-thing about.. about his old.. old team playing..."

Nodding, Mimko tucked a tentacle behind her ear as she turned to face Matchako. "Yeah... Moray should be gone soon, so we'll be able to pair up at some point.", she said. Matchako seemed to raise her head slightly at the prospect of it, her milky pink eyes glimmering.

"Rea-lly? Oh, I'd.. I'd love to! I.. I hope you'll be on.. on my team, team... Sometimes Bimo gets put on.. on the other team and.. and it gets _really_ scary..."

"Then don't worry about it! I'll make sure the organizers know to put us both together, alright..?"

Eventually, the two stood up and started to walk towards the turf war lobby, humming along to each other's tunes, albeit quietly. Mimko raised her head to the sky, watching the clouds roll past as they walked.

**_Today was going to be great._ **

\------------------------------

 **Today had been _awful._** Moray hissed to himself as he watched his rank bar crack for the third time, shooting a poisonous glare at the smug luna blaster main across from him. "God damnit... At this rate, I'm going to get a blaster myself and show those asshats what they're really like..."

Grumbling to himself, he passed Bimo on the way to Sheldon, begrudgingly waving. They were too polite, he thought. Too friendly to be really so competitive... He trudged towards Sheldon's shop, mood worsening when he realized that he'd have to listen to their squeaker toy sounding voice. Pushing his way through the door, he heard Sheldon's chipper, trademark "Hello hello!" as he stepped inside.

Eugh.

He grabbed a clash blaster from the rack, slamming it onto the counter. "Give me this.", he muttered, only to be berated by the crab for 'potentially hurting the merchandise!", as if the brutally huge weapon was going to break any time soon. He just tossed the money he had in his face, gritting his teeth. He couldn't stand them.

"Look, you annoyed me throughout the entire trip through octo valley. The least you can do is shut up and let me buy this."

" _Excuse_ me?!" Sheldon scoffed, taking the blaster away from the counter and swiping the money off of the ground, placing it back on the counter. "You continue to treat me like this and I'll be forced not to _ever_ sell to you again!"

"Like you'd actually do that, you money driven hoarder. Just take it."

"Absolutely not!"

"Do you want the money or not."

"..."

Moray left the shop feeling worse than ever. Now he had that... Cursed weapon in his hands, an argument with Sheldon under his belt, and multiple losses, he dejectedly headed back towards the apartment. He unlocked the door and walked inside, stepping over the piles of laundry and hero gear he had just left laying around. He dumped the blaster onto one of the piles, yelping in pain as it rolled back over and hit his toes. "OW! Dammit, dammit ow-"

Hopping back over to the door, he slammed it shut before falling backwards onto his bed, wishing that he could just fall asleep. And just as he almost got his wish, his headset hissed to life. "Agent 3! Come in, Agent 3!"

"WHAT"

"Err- Woah. Okay. We just had a dissappearance in inkopolis square and we needed you to check it out-"

"No. Let me sleep."

"..Agent 3, this is serious."

"You always say that, then it ends up being some loser octopus man with a dry, boring fight at the end. Shut up."

"...Agent 3, you're being awfully rude."

"Yeah, so?", he wrinkled his nose, sitting up. "It's not like I ever signed up to be an agent. Go send callie to do it. Maybe she'll get hypnotized again and I won't have to hear her never-ending talking."

The intercom went silent as he heard a soft sniffle. He felt a stab of guilt, but he pushed it down and threw the covers back over his head, turning off the headset and trying once more to sleep.

It wasn't his fault everyone was so annoying.

...

_Was it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho man, writing agent 3 is about as annoying as he is in the text. Hope you enjoyed the first half of this unpleasant chapter, I swear he'll learn eventually.


	3. Bimour guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Chapter 3 has arrived~  
> I swear this fic isn't dead, I've just been tired, achy and most of all unmotivated.

“Oh here we go, perfect!”

Bimo plucked the octopus plushie from the display, a wide smile growing across his face. “Oh man, Matchako’s gonna _love_ this!”

Hurrying over to the counter, he swiftly paid for the gift and hurried outside of the shop, cheerfully twirling as he went. After a wonderful day of turfing and competition, he might as well give his best friend in the whole world a treat, right?

A sweet tune escaped his lips as he hummed to his imagination’s content, observing the store-fronts of Arowana Malls’ top sellers. Next stop, the apartment. _Should be quick_ , he thought. He’d rather not be away from the place for too long- after all, she’d always get anxious whenever he disappeared for a while.

He had only taken a few bounds forwards before the sweet, unmistakable perfume of another inkling that he knew quite well hit his nostrils. Glancing over his shoulder, he nearly jumped. _How was she right behind me this whole time..?_

“Woahoah, hiya Machino, what’s up…?” He said, placing a few feet between them as he waved.

“Hee! Hi Bee, I jus’ had a coupla favors I wanted t’ ask o’ ya, if that’s alright?”

“..Err.. Sure! I’ve got some time…”

Sorrowfully glancing back at the apartment a few steps away, he let the excitable inkling drag him along towards a less accessible area of the square. “...Right! So, I jus’ wanted to see if this here area would be good for brush racing! It’s a bit shady, but don’t worry! It’s gonna be just fine!”

His brow instantly shot upwards, to which she quickly corrected herself. “I just need you to race me across this path, I’ll make sure nothing bad happens, ‘kay?”

Stomach clearly sunk with uncertainty, Bimo nodded despite his doubts. It was just a short race, then he could get back to the apartment with his gift. “Right, right. Just a quick race. Three, two-”

“One!”

“Hey, no fair-”

The two flicked brushes and got to running. Indeed, the alley was fairly dim, but there were a few lights cast across it, the eerie feeling dissipating with each step. If anything, Bimo enjoyed the quick run, after all, he’d been ducking and dodging all day, something more straightforward was appreciated.

A few minutes passed before he realized that Machino was no longer in sight, and he skidded to a halt. “..Err, hey, you still there?”

Silence. His shoulders tensed as the few lights that were on briefly flickered, before shutting off entirely. “Mach? I don’t trust this, I’m going back.”

Only a few steps were taken forwards before he halted again, foot having pressed against another shoe. Gaze flicking upwards, he locked stares with a pair of bright, oddly lidded eyes. Neither Inkling nor Octoling from memory matched with their eerie glower. Heart pumping and arms shaking with adrenaline, he opened his mouth to speak.  
“Err- hey, can I get past? I swear I didn’t mean to get in your way...”

It was all a blur after that.

Shoved to the ground, heels digging into rough concrete and no way of knowing where he was. All he felt was the octopus plushie slipping from his grasp, and a hot wave of fear washing over him at the realization of what was going on. Kicking and struggling, Bimo felt the icy cold stare burn into his chest. Why was this so wrong...?   
  


A scream rang out through the back alleyways of Inkopolis, hardly reaching the ears of unknowing citizens.

And that, was the last they heard of their favorite, friendly competitor.


	4. Chapter 4

Flying through the air and rolling to a stop on the other side of the test barrier, Agent 8 had felt oddly free in their descent. After all, no limits of money or weapons were blocking them in their venture, though they had chosen one of the few offered to them at the beginning.

Clutching their newly acquired splatling to their chest, they allowed for their momentum to fully subside, before he brushed off his gear, head raising to fully absorb the stark detail of his surroundings. He felt a buzz from his radio as Pearl came onto the line. “Woah! Marina’s not seeing anything right now, what the HECK did you just do?!”

He promptly chose to ignore them, tuning out their frustrated, but clearly worried chimes. Agent 8 would worry about the ensuing drama later. For now, they had a... "test", to complete, if you will.

This station in particular was far less expansive, no void stretching beneath them that would send them plummeting to their eventual fate. Instead, towers rose from a vast expanse of water, casting huge, foreboding shadows across the rippling surface of the ocean. Still, it had a sickly greenish tint, only exacerbated by the unnatural, scattered lighting. They had obviously tried to make a sky out of screens to no avail, as many were hanging by the tips of their wires off of the walls. One even fell as he was watching them, the shockwave and noise causing his heart to jump.

Careful not to slip into the murky depths, Agent 8 inked their way through the abandoned side of the course, observing the forgotten, rotted obstacles once meant to have purpose and now purposeless. In fact, Agent 8 was too deep in their own musings to recognize the tell-tale strangled wail of an enemy octoling behind them. 

Only noticing their presence when she had landed a few hits on his back, Agent 8 whipped around, wincing and wildly shooting at their undead companion. He was still panting with exhilaration when another cry sounded from the top of one of the suspended towers, hardly given time to prepare himself as she super jumped down.

Splat.

He always felt torn with guilt every time he did that.

Inking his way up onto one of the pillars, he saw one of the huge blockages up ahead. The final ‘thang’ was balanced on top, encased in a rubbery, shining bubble as usual. Yet piles of fallen, metal rubble blocked the path. Support beams, iron poles, spawn-pads, you name it. Appearing as if it were deliberately sabotaged by an octoling or inkling- yet they had no clue how something could have possibly broken through all of it without help, let alone some sort of explosive.

Feeling around for a grip in the rust, 8 began their slow ascent to the peak, slipping back to the bottom every few steps as the rubble painfully knocked him back downwards each time. Undoubtedly, this would take quite a while, but their journey became far more complicated when Agent 8 let go just in time to avoid a massive splashdown- far bigger than one they’d ever seen. Another hit right by them as they scrambled back towards the pillar.

Another octoling, hair glowing furiously with the energy of their special, rushed forwards, throwing massive bomb after massive bomb at the Agent, who could barely keep from being heavily damaged.  _ Why the hell is this special still going? Why is it so powerful? _

They had no time to think on the question as they felt the sting of more ink puddling onto their arm. Sprinting back towards the octoling, they charged their splatling and dispatched it, wincing as the kickback from the weapon hit one of the inked spots of his skin, causing it to hiss and bubble angrily.

Dragging himself forwards, he continued to try and climb the mountain of scrap metal, interrupted time and time again by the other sanitized octolings, all of which had been more and more souped up.

After finally getting his sore, worn hands onto the final thang and returning back to the train, they found it hard to suppress a discomforted shudder.

_Perhaps this wasn't a great idea after all._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Motivation is hard to come by, haha :,)  
> Enjoy this mid chapter, working on it is actually what got me out of bed this morning, hooray?

“Help, help, somebody, help!”

Mimko immediately perked up from her seat in the square, hopping to her feet and wildly glancing around in the hopes to locate the source of the loud pleas. 

“Please,” they choked. “He’s gone, please someone help me!”

“Matcha?!”

Matchako blinked a few tears from her eyes as Mimko quickly approached her, handkerchief brought forth towards them. Blinking away a couple more sorrowful tears, she gratefully accepted their gift, wiping at her red face.

Mimko knelt down to her level, gently lacing her fingers with her friend’s, masking her anxious look with a soft, empathetic smile.

“What’s wrong, tea? I’m here, don’t worry.”

Matchako burst out into choked sobs once more, barely managing to blubber out a cohesive sentence between gasps.

“B-B-B-B-Bi-Bimo is- Bimo is- He’s gone he- he didn’t- didn’t come back yesterday or- or- or today he’s gone and I’m so worried I’m worried something awful happened- happened or maybe- maybe he got splatted or- or-...”

She faded off into silence at Mimko’s shocked and worried face, her smile having transitioned into a look of horror. Her thoughts immediately flew a mile a minute, racing over the possibilities of what that could  _ possibly _ mean-

“Oh- I’m… Sure it’s nothing, maybe he was getting... something, and didn’t tell you on accident..?”  _ The missing inklings…  _ “Is that in the realm of possibility, Matcha?”

Matchako took a moment to shakily think, her shivering hands quieting in motion as she focused on the given task. Eventually, the look cleared and she folded her knees back up to her chest.

“He- He said he… He was gonna go buy… Something- he- he din’ say what-what-what though… only that- that he’d be back by sunset…”

“It’s been 2 days.”

Mimko’s eyes narrowed. “Well, maybe he got lost- I really don’t want to think he got into trouble…”, pausing at a gasp and another sob from Matchako, she raised her hands and quickly attempted to remedy her statement. “I really really doubt it though- We can go looking! I’m sure he’s safe and sound…”

After a minute or two of hushing and consoling Matchako, her head raised slightly as she felt the familiar hard, stony glare of Moray on her back.

Quietly cursing to herself, Mimko glanced behind her, meeting his gaze with an aggressive scowl of her own.

Moray circled the two of them, his hawk-like watch assessing each facet of the situation, Mimko saw it in his expression. As if he was thinking of every little way to pick apart the details, she refused to think he’d do it to a small, shy and unassuming squid like her friend.

She assumed wrong. 

“The hell are you two doing? I thought crying was reserved for important problems.”

She quietly shot back with a “This  _ is  _ important”, but he had already carried on without her, paying no heed to her sentence.

“Look,” he snapped, “I bet everyone who’s falling into the drains of this place did it ‘cause of some dumbass challenge. Nothing more.”

Matchako flinched at their tone, prompting Mimko to take a step in front of her, blocking Moray from her view. 

“You’re being way too cruel about this Moray, have you  _ any  _ empathy at all?! Wait…”

“...They didn’t tell us about the sewers being involved, did they?”

He shrugged. “I dunno, don’t care.”

“You  _ SHOULD,  _ because that’s  _ way _ suspicious!”

Moray only shifted his gaze to the ground.

“Step off, if you’re not going to help this investigation, then don’t interfere at all.”

Moray bristled with indignation, fists curling tightly into a ball.

“I never said I wouldn’t investigate, just that I think this is  _ dumb _ and being blown out of proportion.”

Crossing his arms, he forced his hands to relax and instead looked away. “Just… Whatever, I’ll leave you two be. If you’re so worried, I  _ guess _ I’ll go looking then, just to show you there’s nothing  _ wrong _ here.”

Mimko watched him leave, her shoulders finally relaxing. What was  _ up _ with him today..? She turned back to Matchako, placing a hand on hers. “You can stay at my place until we find him, okay?” To which they nodded gratefully. Having shifted into a squid to make herself look smaller, Mimko lifted her friend into her arms, gently walking her to their own apartment. “It’s a bit of a mess, are you okay with that…?”

The squid didn’t reply, so she went on with setting up the apartment. “We’re gonna find him, alright? I won’t put his life in the hands of a lazy cheat like 3- I mean Moray.”

She swiftly corrected herself at the puzzled look from matchako, cursing herself for her carelessness.

“Okay… I… I trust you, thank you, thank you so much…”

“No prob, try and relax, okay…?”

“ _ A-Alright _ . I’ll try.”

  
  



	6. Blend of Thoughts

Agent 8 never thought it’d end this way.

Staring blankly at the shredder above him, the metallic bottom of the blender case, and listening to the revving that gave him a headache, Agent 8’s only thought was that he had come  _ so close _ .

Pounding against the glass, yelling, hollering, all of it was utterly useless as the rotating fan came down closer and closer to the two inside, squashed against each other in what little space there was. His earpiece was on the fritz already, Marina and Pearl’s horrified yells drowned out by the whirling blades. Despairingly close to such a beautiful world, yet now having his dreams crushed by a talking telephone. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

He wished he could have met the two.

He wished he could have seen the sun.

He wished he hadn’t put the effort in at all. None of it mattered. It was all just a sham.

The warped carnival music strengthened, the lights blinding, he covered his head with his arms and waited for his demise, a few teardrops rolling off of his chin and onto the cool metal beneath him. Rattling, shaking, whir, whir. It felt worse knowing so many octolings had befallen this fate before him. Likely many more- How many souls were trapped in this thing? This hellish… Contraption, and  _ why _ ..?

There was no answer to his pleas.  _ Not like this, please, not like this _ \- he begged, waiting for it to slice him to bits. Shuddering, shaking at the thought of what it would feel like, he only wished it could go by quicker. After all, he couldn’t take this kind of anxiety for long. Distraught, he began to sob.

Yet, as he waited, and waited, and waited,

No pain arrived.

Slowly, the two opened their eyes. The carnival music had gone silent, a sharp light illuminating a figure far above them as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Hissing to itself, the telephone watched it fall, glass shards having flown everywhere just from the impact. Then, legs extended, a male inkling blew through the blender, shattering the core itself and sending the pieces rocketing across the station and clattering to the tracks beneath. A final garbled shriek was spat from the telephone, before it finally quieted, supposedly lifeless and devoid of any sort of control. Not anymore.

“Agent 3!”

Cap’n Cuttlefish quickly hobbled over to their comrade, checking them over. They were out cold alright, expected. Quite the fall it had been, hadn’t it.

Agent 8 curled up on the remainder of the platform for a minute or two, rocking back and forth to calm themself down. Adrenaline still coursed through them, yet relief washed over him like a tsunami.  _ Thank you _ , he thought, to his hero.  _ Thank you, thank you so much. _

Dragging himself to his feet, Agent 8 eventually stumbled back down to the concrete beneath, using the plastic railing to prop himself up on a twisted ankle. Faint light shone through the hole in the ceiling, illuminating an extensive path to their freedom, but a path nonetheless. And god, did he bask in that shine. 

“Agent 8! You should get to the top as quickly as possible, I’ll keep an eye out here!”

Cap’n cuttlefish and Agent 8 exchanged a thumbs up, before he super jumped into the unknown. Frankly, he didn’t mind the pain, but he dreaded the thought of losing his life now. After all, checkpoints only worked so well in the metro. How many lives did he have, anyway?

…

_ Agent 3 _ , he thought. So there  _ were _ more out there.

More like him.

More to relate to.

That passion drove him forwards.

_ Soon _ , he thought.  _ Soon we’ll be free _ .


	7. Chapter 7

“Ow, fuck. Ow ow ow ow Jesus ow what-“

Moray held his head in his hands, curled around himself and grimacing at the too-bright lights and the too-loud wind. Not to mention the waves of stabbing pains through his forehead. “Ow- what happened… Whuh…”

“Yo, Agent 3! You missed the best moment! Cmon!”

Another crash. Ow. He wished he could be underneath the covers, but instead the wind howled against his sore ribs. Not to mention the frantic chopping of helicopter blades greeting him after he cracked open his eyes. Four faces looked down upon him. Pearl, Marina, Cuttlefish and… He couldn’t identify the other one, but they were too blurry to make out anyway. “Best… whuh..?”

“Yo! Marina like, totally beat that big ole’ statue with her bombs! And then Agent 8 was like ‘whupam!’ ‘KACHOW!’ ‘Slam bam!!’ And then I screamed REALLY LOUD and we totally defeated the evil telephone guy!!”

Agent 3 blinked, confusedly trying to comprehend everything she’d just said. “...telephone…”

_ Agent 8…?,  _ Moray thought.  _ How many of us are there? Do they fight octarians too?  _

Marina gently pulled Pearl out of the way, giving Moray a bit of much needed breathing room as the helicopter landed on the grass by inkopolis square. The only two left by him were the blurry faced figure, who he assumed to be the mysterious ‘Agent 8’, and Cap’n Cuttlefish, who was already starting to follow after the two girls.

Moray could hardly recall the events of the past few hours, or days, he couldn’t tell. All he knew was that he’d been exploring the back alleys when he’d gotten an emergency signal from Cap’n. The rest was a whirlwind, unable to pick out any important details from the fray.

Moray was yanked out of his recollections- or lack thereof by the realization that he was being carried. Too exhausted to move his legs, he would have leapt away and screamed if it hadn’t been for the current circumstances.

Agent 8 was holding Moray bridal-style, wide-eyed at all of their surroundings and slowly walking towards the huge city. The light was so beautiful, the clouds, the grass, the trees… All of it was new to him. In fact, he stopped entirely once he hit Inkopolis square, jaw dropping at the towering structures and bright neon statues and… so many inklings-

Staring at him.

“Is that an Octoling?”

“Run away!”

“Someone call the cops!”

“Uhh…”

“Are they friendly?!”

“SCRAM!”

“THEY SPLATTED AN INKLING!”

“No, dummy, they’re asleep.”

Agent 3 tried to cover his ears, but to no avail. What did they mean Octoling…? His left eye was virtually blind and his right eye was still adjusting, so he couldn’t tell what they were all talking about.

_ Whatever, if an Octoling somehow got here, 4 can handle fighting a lone one… _

He blacked out for a while longer, succumbing to the lovely depths of rest. It was short-lived, however, as he was startled back awake by the ringing of the shop bell.

“Hello hello! Welcome to- Oh! They warned me you’d come…”

Hanging limp in his carriers arms, his surroundings changed to a familiar colored shop.

_ Sheldon…? Oh, he can’t see me like this… _

Buzzing with embarrassment, but unable to do much about it, Moray watched as the stranger approached Sheldon, speaking in very rough, foreign inkling.  _ Must be from the outer islands… _ he thought, listening to their accent.

“Mareen, peharl, say… go here. Knowing thiz ink..?”

Moray shyly twitched his fingers in hello as he heard Sheldon’s immediate laugh, before promptly realizing the situation and coughing into his palm.

“Ahem- Yes yes! Indeed I do! I was even told about you two’s arrival… Now, I’m sure you’d like to start out with a weapon, Before we get sorted. Perhaps a clash blaster would do… quite low range and skill floor, but I’ve heard many angry customers ranting to me about being demolished by clash blasters! My oh my, I’m excited…”

He continued to ramble as Moray watched in absolute shock and horror, explaining the nearest, most annoying clash blaster by the wall and promptly handing it to agent 8.

The two chatted for a bit, but he had already tuned them out from disbelief. This day couldn’t get any stranger, could it..?

But then he noticed a figure walking by the window of the shop. His vision was still too disorientingly blurry to make them out, but he recognized those outward facing tentacles anywhere…

_ Octoling. _

Not any Octoling, but an abnormally tall one to boot. Yet they seemed to slip past the residents of inkopolis with no conflict.

As well, they seemed to almost reflect pure black- even kensa had a blueish tint. But this… creature had none of this. A huge, white smile seemed to stretch across their entire face, but as soon as he got a good look at them, they were gone.

At that point, Moray passed out.

—-

“He… Passed out?”

Agent 8 nodded apologetically, mouth sealed once more.

Mimko quickly shook her head, placing a hand on the octo’s. They had no reason to be sorry, especially with all of the weird looks and scowls they had been getting lately.

Frankly, she hardly understood what the big deal was. If they weren’t violent, why be so judging…?

“You must have had a rough ride coming here… And getting into his apartment, Hah.”

Rubbing her arm, Mimko gazed at the mess around her. Scattered, stained clothes on the floors, a stack of weapons labeled ‘dweeb garbage’, and now the broken door to boot.

They had found a laundry basket to put agent 3 in, fearing the creaking of his old rickety bed would wake him up.

Agent 8 rolled their eyes and waved goodbye, retreating back into the hallway so as not to wake them, and leaving Mimko to take care of the odd inkling. As he found his way back to the square, he felt another rush of adrenaline from the warm sun on his face, and the lovely, fresh air. It soothed the aching in their arms and legs, a respite from the constant chaos of the last week.

_ The conductor would enjoy this. _

Startled by that revelation, he slipped the CQ-80 out of his pocket, fiddling with the buttons. Having forgotten entirely about the denizens below, agent 8 finally remembered their chilling final encounter, down beneath the earth.

They pocketed the CQ-80.

He’d rather find his own time to talk to them.

_ Assuming the signal reaches far enough to... _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all! Sorry for taking so long. I’ve been focusing on other things but I swear I haven’t forgotten!! What does agent 8 mean about their encounter with the conductor..? Who is the mysterious figure? Why are so many weapons for dweebs? All will be answered (hopefully) soon!


	8. The break

…

_The break._

An Octoling and a tiny conductor emerge from the train.

They find a place to sit.

The two share jokes, they laugh together.

Very soon, they tell each other.

One will leave, they say.

The sun shines above, far far away.

And yet so many have yet to make it.

…

_What makes you different..?_

CQ Cumber had seen this happen many times before. They became so close to a test subject, only to have them reach the promised land.

He could never bear to tell them the truth.

The screams. While he had never watched, he… could not lie to himself that he found them chilling. 

He was doubtful that the promised land was something ever to exist.

But, ever since the beginning, he made attempts to at least give them all a brief time to discuss their own thoughts. Not to test, just to relax.

But something about this time was different.

Yes, the ten thousand and eighth time, he said. What made that so special? There was no way this subject could make it past the final test. The promised land test.

But they had been one of the few to be calculating, silent, but empathetic. Yet trying to speak to them, they seemed not to care for gestures that would seem kind to others.

Sitting at the station, he was surprised they even agreed to take a break.

“... Apologies agent, this may seem out of the blue, but…”

Pause.

Was he really going to…

No.

Not yet,

“Err… I- this… is… Nevermind.”

The subject turned their head back to the conductor with an inquisitive look, causing him to shudder.

“Sorry.”

Silence.

“Vhat for..?”

Their first two words, rough from having not spoken for presumably months.

CQ Cumber nearly fainted from shock. Frankly, he was sure he had imagined it.

“I’m- You can-?”

“Umm… Yez?”

“Apologies, I… May have assumed you could not.”

The subject shook their head sadly, keeping quiet. They just turned back to the tracks.

CQ took a deep breath.

Here goes.

“...I’d like to discuss something with you. I… Apologise in advance if this is… a dark topic.”

They glanced back at him as if to say ‘go on?’

Another wave of fear rushed over him, and he had to keep his feelers still for fear he’d flee the topic again.

“The promised land.”

“Do you believe it’s real?”

Subject 10,008 narrowed his eyes, before nodding quietly, laying his hands in his lap.

“I believe zere are ezcabe.”

“...But do you think that… Well, that the promised land is an escape?”

“No.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Feeling scummier than ever, he reached out an arm to give some sort of comfort, only to be intercepted by the subject’s hand. Gently pushed back by it, the conductor began to protest, but was promptly, shushed by the octoling.

“Tel ‘e mour.”

“I- I am afraid I do not know what you m-”

“Zecredive. Talk ruth.”

“Truth..?”

“Yez.”

Pause.

Sigh.

“...Yes, I regret to inform you that the promised land is… is…”

 _What was the best way to say this,_ he thought, _if even he didn’t know the truth?_

Seeming to have picked up on their hesitation, 10,008 motioned to continue. Frankly, the conductor couldn’t figure out why it was so _difficult_ to say. Perhaps knowing that he had caused-

“...No, no… I shan’t say, but… 8, if you do not mind me calling you that, I, err, would suggest taking your time, to… to enjoy life. Please.”

He sighed in relief to finally have at least said something, even if it was vague at best.

Then he felt the gaze on him sharpen, as if staring daggers into his soul. Shivering and slinking backwards, he finally met their eyes. Was it anger? Disappointment? That they felt from their own realizations and interpretations of his words? Or was it directed at him? He wished he hadn’t opened his mouth in the first place.

Without another word, they stood up and walked back to the train, abandoning the conductor to clean up their spot. Heart sinking, he did so, before slowly boarding the last car. The buzzing, fluorescent lights seemed harsher than usual, and he felt as if every passenger was secretly judging him. But it was justified, he thought. After all, he was a murderer.

That was all he was, not an esteemed train conductor. Not a helpful tip-giver, or a test manager. A murderer.

The train zipped from the station and back to the next loop, but CQ Cumber left it on autopilot. Instead of controlling the train, he instead dejectedly slipped into the nearest seat, hiding himself from view. Curling around himself, he covered his face with his hat and shivered beneath it.

He kept to himself, and his thoughts. 

His own test of will, failed.

_Test failed._

How many times had he pressed that button. How many instances had he unfairly punished an innocent octoling? What were his true motives. To help? To hurt? Mind clouded with doubt, he drifted to sleep.

He drifted to sleep, and didn’t wake up to the sudden shriek of the radio. Static, static, static. A voice, but he couldn’t hear it. The next stop came and went, the static continued.

A figure walked into the conductor’s car.

He did not wake up.

Hand brushing across the intercom system, and finally the radio.

He did not wake up.

The radio quieted to a hushed hum, then silence.

He did not wake up.

_The break._


	9. Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are beginning to get a bit more serious, warning for a whole lot more angst in this one.  
> But as things are ramping up for the two, what about the others? The idols? The conductor? Agent 8..?   
> This is further in the future.  
> We’re going back in time, just for a minute, after this chapter.

Ever since Bimo’s disappearance, Matchako had been living at Mimko’s apartment complex. Excitement had been building for the first time in days, since Mim had promised her a trip to MakoMart to go shopping together and hopefully get some searching supplies. Inkopolis was massive- There was no way in heck that just the two of them could go looking without some sort of assistance, which was why they would both be scouring the stores everywhere for anything they could possibly benefit from- Including Makomart.

They had already found a few ink canisters for tracing their paths behind them, flashlights and resistant boots, but there was still an abundance of time before they had everything they possibly needed. 

Hand drifting across her selection of outfits, she contemplated which one to wear for the occasion. Sure, it was just a silly trip to the store, but something told her that this decision would impact  _ something _ , though she couldn’t quite decipher what it was. Coat, frilly dress, sandals? No, too weird looking. That pretty bubblegum pink blouse? Not that either, too attention seeking. Maybe… no, no…

She eventually picked out her favorite bright white tee and cute green shorts, hurrying for the door. Flipping out her phone from her pocket, she scrolled over to the meeting place and double checked the time and route, before gathering her things and stepping out the door into the streets.

A cloudy day out today. Bimo always adored the rain, going out of his way to be in it. So long as an inkling was not submerged, it could be a rather pleasant experience, or so Bimo described. She never could understand it...

A twang of dissatisfaction hit her as she walked. Nothing felt right without his chipper dialogue and reassuring presence. Hollow. But that wouldn’t deter Matchako so easily. Bimo would want her to be brave and brash and bold- How could she not be after what happened? She had to get every aspect of her life corrected now. Then, when they finally rescued him, she’d be able to show him how much she’d grown.

How much she and Mimko had changed.

Squashing down a rising blush across her cheeks, she finally felt her shoes hit the asphalt parking lot she knew so well. The massive building was a popular tourist spot due to how huge the store was. Even to the point that the jokes about getting lost in there frequently became a reality. But despite all that, she only took a brief moment or two to take it all in. Approaching the building with newfound vigor, she began searching for her friend. She couldn’t spot her among the crowds, so she checked the perimeter. Nothing there. She checked inside, and there was nobody there besides strangers and families of jellyfish.

Matcha pushed down the rising feeling of panic in her throat, choosing to linger outdoors instead. Surely her friend was just a mite late, right..?

She waited.

And waited, and kept waiting.

Hours passed.

One, two, then six. They rolled by with no appearance from her friend. With each passing minute, Matchako felt the panic in her throat rise a tiny bit more. 

The store was beginning to approach closing time, and no sign of Mimko anywhere.

In a last desperate attempt, she sent a text or two, she spam called, nothing. No response.

_ Like Bimo. _

“N-no, nonono- this- this- this has gotta- this has gotta just-just-u-ust be some sorta-a-a joke-“

She quieted down as her voice echoed across the now empty parking lot, eventually swallowed up by the chirping of cicadas and the rush of thoughts pushing at the tears welling up in her eyes.

The sunset, the beautiful weather and the slight breeze against her face would have all been so, so wonderful.

Appreciating the silence was impossible right now, it felt  _ dreadful _ to even imagine herself enjoying anything with…

With her only friends gone.

That  _ little- _

“Why the hell are you here.”

That. Little- awful- she- she  _ despised him- _

“Leave me  **_A L O N E !”_ **

She let out a loud sob and without thinking, pushed him directly in the chest, and promptly caused him to stumble backwards in shock.

Blinking, Moray didn’t respond. No quip, eyes wide and bright against the contrast of the dark from nightfall beginning to settle over the duo. Finally, the silence was broken by lightning cracking against the sky, illuminating the two in a harsh glare.

Then it began to pour.

Matchako froze in place, now beginning to register what she had just done. Before she could speak, however, Moray let out a despairing whine.

“You don’t know where she is either…?”

_ Wait, but didn’t he… _

“But you  _ kidnapped  _ her-“ She blurted out, inching forwards once more. Shockingly, it prompted them to stumble further away, unlike what she’d seen him do before. “-how can you not know where she  _ is _ ?!”

Moray opened his mouth to speak, but his words were drowned out by the thunder and downpour.

Convinced he was lying, she sprung towards her weapon, readying her ink tank for any sudden moves.

He shouted a “Wait-“ over the wind, but it was too late. She had a splattershot pointed directly at his chest. Frankly, she was shocked at herself- In any other conditions she’d never attempt something this illegal- but  _ her friends-  _ How  _ dare  _ he pretend he wasn’t suspect- 

She realized she’d splat him in a heartbeat.

With no respawn points anywhere nearby, he’d be gone forever.

He was at her mercy.

For all she knew, the others were at his.

Moray sat in stunned silence, seeming unsure of his next move. It’s not like he could escape into the rain- it was too heavy to survive. 

Finally, with a trembling voice, Moray raised his arms in surrender, speaking.

“I thought you were the kidnapper.”

“D-Don’t trick me-me. I’m n..not gu-gullible.”

She pressed the nozzle harder into his chest.

“Yes you are, if I were lying, you’d believe me. I’m telling the truth, Matcha.”

Admittedly, her hand was beginning to become sore from how tightly she was holding the handle of the splattershot.  _ He’s lying, don’t trust it, he’s dangerous, splat splat splat-  _ but a tiny, nearly inaudible voice within her whispered  _ what if he’s right…? _

Moray drew in a long, deep breath, and sighed- at least as best he could, anyway, restricted by his current position.

“Look. You’re the only inkling she made plans with. You’re friends with Bimo, he disappeared. And frankly, as much as I hate him, he’s important to me,”

He took a pause, seeming to notice her arm starting to slacken, before continuing, “As for  _ Mimko?  _ I act the way I do because I’m  _ jealous _ , okay?!  _ She _ has empathy,  _ she _ has skill, _ she  _ gets all the attention. And I wish I was her friend.”

“Instead, I’m just an ass.”

“Does that satisfy you?”

Matchako felt a tremor run through her entire body, before the gun clattered to the pavement below. Any ounce of strength she had managed to muster in holding herself up failed as she sunk straight to her knees. All she wanted were her friends back, she wanted this to all go back to  _ normal _ , and she was starting to realize that she wasn’t going to help anything this way.

A surprisingly warm hand connected with her shoulder. Gaze blank, she followed them deeper into the cover of the building, taking shelter within the brick walls of the car garage.

She barely registered why she was moving or if it was the inkling she hated most, bleakly stumbling along as they held her up.

Soon, as the two sat next to each other, Matchako began to cry.

“ _ Shhh, shhh,  _ look, you’ll be okay, we’ll find them…”

“B-but-  _ hic _ \- what if- If- if- we never-ever-ver fi-figure it ooout..???”

“We will. Don’t worry.”

————-

Moray’s eye still stung like hell, and he was still confused and frankly offended that she even had the gall to accuse  _ him _ of kidnapping somebody.

But right now, facing himself and her near attack, he only felt pity for her. 

He hadn’t realized that she really believed it all this time that _he_ was the culprit. 

If he had known, he would have been a bit nicer.

He awkwardly patted her back, startled when she seemed to melt into the touch. She must really miss the guy…

Remembering Bimo again only made the gnawing worry about his companion grow worse. With Mimko gone, he was the only other hero in inkopolis as far as he knew that could help investigate. 

Mimko was far better for the job.

Moray was just the segway to a better agent, her.

But she wasn’t here. He was the only one who could help her now- who was seriously strong enough to kidnap her anyway..? It made his stomach churn.

The rain pouring on the concrete above him made it hard to focus, and he was freezing. To be honest, it almost felt nice to have someone else there- even if she had just tried to splat him.

_ What?! No! Idiot- focus on what’s important- _

But the way she was curled up there just… made him feel bad. All this time he could have been doing more to help, but he was too busy throwing the tantrum of a century and flipping off strangers, huh?

“We’re gonna fix this.”

Seeming to be the catalyst for the inkling’s thoughts, Matchako leapt to her feet, knocking Moray off balance. Promptly offering him her hand, he took it, not having expected the sudden change in demeanor in the slightest, but proud all the same.

_ Pride, that’s a new one, eh? _

“We  _ are _ gonna fix this.”

“Yep.”

“And we’re gonna find them.”

“No matter what.”

“No matter what.”

He felt a grin spread across his face, eyes narrowing as they locked fists, exchanging smiles.

Having turned the headset back on, they turned towards the newest blip on their radar, a clue as to where they may have gone.

The heart of inkopolis square.

In unison.

“ _ Let’s go.” _


End file.
